


I Found Something New in Las Vegas

by canthelpmyselves



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24335188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canthelpmyselves/pseuds/canthelpmyselves
Summary: Tired of being treated like a kid, Barry left Central and took a job in Las Vegas.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Gil Grissom
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	I Found Something New in Las Vegas

**Author's Note:**

> While watching an old episode of CSI, my youngest son said 'Barry could have solved that case faster cause he's the fastest man alive'. After I got through laughing, the idea stayed and thus, this story was born. I almost added it to the Meeting Again and Again collection but it's a bit too long for that.

Barry took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders and knocking firmly on the door in front of him. The man inside called out permission to enter, so he turned the knob and stepped inside. 

“Um, hey. I’m Barry Allen. I’m your new CSI.”

The handsome man looked up at him from over the rim of his glasses with confusion. “I have a new CSI?”

Barry felt a momentary surge of panic. Surely they knew he was coming, right? He was certain he had the right starting date. “Uh, yes?” he squeaked. 

The man sat up straight and stared at him for several seconds. “Just graduated?”

Barry shook his head, his left hand clutching at his messenger bag strap. “No. I graduated high school at 16 and college at 19. I’m 23 and I’ve been a level 3 CSI for two years. I just moved here from Central City, Missouri where I was one of only three CSIs in the entire precinct. I’m not inexperienced, I promise.”

The man studied him closely for a moment before he stood and held out a hand for the papers still clutched in Barry’s other hand. He looked them over carefully before looking back up at Barry. “I didn’t realize Ecklie was hiring someone new.”

It was Barry’s turn to frown now. “I don’t know an Ecklie. I was hired by Mr. McKeen. I was supposed to start a few months ago but I was in an accident during my last week at work and spent ten weeks in a coma. I was cleared to return to work a couple of weeks ago. When I called to see if my job was still available, I was told it was. Am I… Do I not have a job, after all?”

“I’ll need to make a couple of calls,” the man said carefully, “but I could always use another CSI. We’ve been pulling doubles for a couple of weeks.” He paused as he reached for the phone. “Just have a seat while I get this straightened out.”

Barry sat down and began looking around the room, trying not to look too nervous. The office was fairly cluttered but there were a lot of interesting things in view. The fetal pig was cool and he liked the bug displays. Then he spotted something really interesting. He didn’t even realize he was standing until he was bending over and eyeing the tarantula with glee. He jumped slightly when he felt someone leaning over his shoulder.

He looked up at the other man and swallowed. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I like your tarantula.”

“Thank you,” the man replied with a small smile. “By the way, I’m Gil Grissom. Your new supervisor.”

Barry grinned. “Awesome.”

* * *

Barry shoved his bag into his locker and rotated his neck to loosen up his muscles. It had been a long night, two traffic accidents, a convenience store robbery and a fatal shooting at a motel off the strip. He’d been paired with Catherine for each case so far. She was nice enough but prone to underestimating him.

Barry did his best not to take offense, especially since it was his first full night. He knew he looked a lot younger than he was (a big problem back in Central) and even his actual age didn’t lend much in the way of credibility (most of the time it was a hindrance) but he sincerely hoped this was a (very) temporary situation. Being treated like an actual child was part of the reason he had been so eager to leave Central in the first place. 

“Hey, new guy, right?”

Barry looked up from changing his shoes to see two men standing in the doorway. One was tall, dark-skinned and broad shouldered. The other was only a bit shorter, with dark hair, broader shoulders and a stern expression. Barry mentally sighed and hoped that whatever hazing he was about to experience was more verbal than physical. “That’s me. Barry Allen.”

“I’m Warrick Brown,” the first one said. “This is Nick Stokes.”

Nick waved a hand before walking over and dropping down onto the other end of the bench. He groaned and stretched one leg out, rubbing his thigh above the knee. “Welcome to Vegas, man. Hey, Warrick, you got any more of that muscle cream? That kid really did a number on my leg.”

Barry shifted warily but neither man seemed to be hostile. “You're hurt?”

Nick grimaced as he looked at Barry. “Had a suspect who thought he was a mule. Kicked like one, anyway.”

Barry reached into his bag, pulled out a small tube and held it out. “I have some ointment you can have. I run a lot so I always carry extra,” he said. 

Nick smiled and nodded. “Thanks, man. I’ll pay you back on my next shift. That’s Monday unless I get called in.”

“Get used to that,” Warrick warned. “Vegas never sleeps and you’ll get called in at all hours.”

Barry stood and shouldered his bag. “My former department only had three CSIs, including the supervisor. I’m used to being on call.”

“Well, good to meet you,” Nick said, standing up. “Thanks, again.”

Barry gave him a nod. “You’re welcome. See you later.”

Warrick and Nick both nodded before turning to each other and discussing some game they both wanted to watch. Barry headed out, throwing a wave at one of the officers he had met earlier in the night. As he stepped outside into the pre-dawn darkness, he took a deep breath. Las Vegas was a big change from Central City. He’d just have to wait and see if that was a good thing or not.

***

Gil watched as Barry leaned over a lab table, carefully piecing together broken pottery. In truth, he was more than a little impressed by the young CSI. He had initially paired Barry with Catherine to give him a bit of experience but after only a couple of days, Catherine was struggling to control her temper. Concerned that he had made a mistake accepting the young man onto the team, Gil had paired up with Barry for the next two nights and it quickly became obvious he didn’t need training. 

Barry moved from one task to the next so quickly, anyone not paying very close attention would assume he wasn’t focused. Gil had to admit, he was fascinated by the young man. Barry was exuberant in the labs, often matching Greg Sanders laugh for laugh as they joked and teased one another. He was calm and focused in the field. When Sara accused him of not paying attention earlier tonight, he was able to repeat back to her, almost word-for-word, the entire statement a witness gave. Sara had stormed off muttering about show-offs. Barry wasn’t prone to speculation, which Gil appreciated, but he did have a knack for interpreting evidence.

(It certainly didn’t hurt that Barry was incredibly beautiful, either.)

“I like him,” Nick said, suddenly appearing beside Gil.

Gil raised one eyebrow as he turned to look at him and Warrick. “Oh?”

“He’s not as twitchy as some of the day shift CSIs and he’s got skills.”

Gil turned and began walking toward his office. “I had him with Catherine but they clashed,” he admitted.

Warrick snorted. “More like Catherine tried to run over him and he ignored her.”

Gil looked at him curiously. “Oh?”

Warrick shrugged one shoulder. “She accused him of ignoring her and that his kit was full of unnecessary items.”

“Unnecessary items?”

“Makeup remover wipes, nail polish, neon colored Sharpies,” Nick listed. “A few other things.”

Gil sat down behind his desk with a tiny smirk. “Did he explain why he carried those things?”

Warrick leaned back against the door while Nick slouched in the other chair. “Something about each one have dual purposes.”

Gil nodded. “Makeup remover can remove not just makeup but dirt and oil from skin. I know some CSIs use them instead of regular towelettes. I assume the nail polish was clear?”

Warrick nodded. Nick let his head fall back as a thought occurred to him. “Chiggers!” he groaned. Gil nodded knowingly and Nick looked over at Warrick. “It seals up bug bites and keeps them from itching. Remember when Braun’s son was killed? I got chigger bites and Gris told me to use nail polish on them.”

“Barry comes from Missouri,” Gil explained. “I’m sure he’s encountered bugs and plants that can irritate skin. As for the colored markers, I had already noticed that he uses a different color for each department in the labs. He labels his envelopes for easier sorting later. Blue for trace, green for DNA, and orange for ballistics,” Gil said. “So, back to Catherine.”

Nick sighed and dragged a hand down the side of his face. “It was weird, man. She was getting louder and louder and Barry was just…”

“It’s like he literally just stopped hearing her voice,” Warrick finished when Nick trailed off. 

“Then, right in the middle of her demanding to know if he was listening, he put in earbuds, picked up his kit and walked out of the locker room,” Nick told him. “Never said a word to her, Gris. Just went to the break room to await assignments.”

“Look, Cath has always had a hard time adjusting to new hires,” Warrick added. “Give her a couple of weeks and she’ll settle.”

Gil nodded and sat so straight so he could lean his forearms on the desk. “Barry is a good CSI. He’s calm, focused and experienced. I’d feel comfortable sending him out with any one of us,” he admitted.

“So, when are you going to ask him out?” Warrick asked.

Gil choked on air, his eyes going wide as he stared at the two younger men. “W-what?” he gasped.

Nick stood and reached across the desk to slap Gil on the shoulder. “Come on, man, we’re CSIs. We’re trained to observe. Barry’s cool. And very, very gay. And you? Well, let’s just say your tastes are… broad.”

Warrick nodded with a grin. “Don’t forget, we caught you checking him out not ten minutes ago.”

A soft knock made all three men look toward the door. Warrick moved away from it and pulled it open so Barry could step inside.

“Um, sorry to interrupt,” Barry said with a faint smile. “Sir, I managed to piece the pottery together and I found some tool impressions. I scanned them and the computer is trying to match them now. I just wanted to let you know I’m going to grab some lunch and I’ll check on them when I get back.”

“Thank you, Barry,” Gil said. Barry nodded and gave them all a little wave before walking out of the office. “Wait!”

Barry stopped and looked back curiously and Gil got to his feet. He deliberately ignored the grins on Nick and Warrick’s faces as he moved around the desk and cleared his throat. He could feel his neck heat up as he met Barry’s eyes. “Would you… like some company?” he hesitantly asked. Gil was pleased to see Barry’s eyes light up with interest and his lips pull up into a brighter, more personal smile. 

“Yeah,” he said eagerly, if a little shyly. “That would be great.”

Gil grabbed his jacket and hurried forward to join Barry. He trusted Nick and Warrick to close his office up for him. “There’s a deli around the corner that makes great hot sandwiches.”

Barry’s cheeks were pink and he nodded quickly. “Sounds great.”

Feeling bold, Gil held out his arm, a spark of hope shooting through him as Barry wrapped his arm around Gil’s.


End file.
